Sara Duterte on Mindanao Railway delay: 'Masakit sa loob ko'

Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday expressed dismay over the delay of the construction of the Mindanao Railway Project due to funding issues.

In an interview in Butuan City, Duterte lamented the situation of the supposed major railway project in Mindanao, saying that she ran as Vice President in 2022 in hopes of continuing the "Build Build Build" program under the administration of her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte.

"'Yan din ang kinakasama ng loob ko dahil I ran on the platform of continuity and unity, particularly the 'Build Build Build' program of the previous administration of President Duterte," she said.

(I feel bad about that because I ran on the platform of continuity and unity, particularly the 'Build Build, Build' program of the previous administration of President Duterte.)

"In fact, hindi lang 'yung Mindanao Railway ang unappropriated ang Philippine government part na mga obligations. Mayroon pang ibang mga projects na ganu'n rin hanggang ngayon. Kaya masakit. Masakit sa loob ko dahil napakalaking tulong niyan, hindi lang sa Mindanao, lahat ng mga projects sa buong bansa," she added.

(In fact, the Mindanao Railway is not the only one that is unappropriated by the Philippine government in its obligations. There are other projects that face the similar situation. It's painful to see. My heart hurts because that is supposed to be a big help, not only in Mindanao, but the entire country.)

In 2021, it was indicated that the construction of the railway project's Phase 1 will begin in the second quarter of 2022 and is targeted to be partially operable by the latter part of the year.

The Phase 1 of the project has a length of 100.2 kilometers with over eight stations and an estimated project cost of P81.6 billion.

The Mindanao Railway was originally set to begin construction for its phase 1 or Tagum-Davao-Digos segment in January 2019.

On Sept. 22, 2023, then-Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno sent a letter to Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian informing him that the country would no longer pursue loan financing for the Mindanao Railway Project (MRP) from China.

Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista confirmed this during the German-Philippine Chambers of Commerce and Industry forum in October 2023, saying that the agency dropped the Chinese official development assistance (ODA) as a funding source for the MRP and two other railway projects as the negotiations had "no development."

Bautista later said the DOTr was also overhauling the entire project to prioritize the development of a modern and environment-friendly railway system in southern Philippines.

For her part, Duterte expressed hope that the railway project in Mindanao would continue.

"We are still hopeful na matutuloy 'yung mga [that the] 'Build Build Build' big ticket projects [will continue]," she said. — VDV, GMA Integrated News